Dunnedg

To clarify, the suites with shower only are actually V2 and are 702 to 707 and 902-903.

There is no bath in the bathroom.😂

You say bathtub, we say bath.

Some V1 suites near front of the ship have no bath which I think makes the difference.

On first time we were OB on Ovation we had Deck 7, second time on Encore Deck 8. Delighted both times. Good luck.

Do you mean OB? If so, booked twice and both times got excellent suites. The last time we got a V5 suite at V1 price. To be honest never noticed any significant difference in suites, certainly not for difference in price.

After a couple of days I get very adept at opening the door with towel in hand, catching the door with my foot and tossing the towel in the basket😀.

Surprised that you cant make a booking? I am sailing in November and was able to make a booking over a month ago.

You cant take it with you. We are here for a good time not a long time! If its what you want you have made the right decision. Just relax and look forward.

Yes I know. We have done so in the past.

On our previous cruises there was a form in the suite to complete and drop off if we wanted to make a payment. Nothing in our suit in October. If we had never cruised with Seabourn before how we have known of the opportunity?

When we sailed in October 22, we were not contacted to ask if we wanted to make a FFD. They always did in the past but as they didn’t speak/contact us this time we didn't bother. We actually forgot all about it. Whilst we are cruising again in November 23 I suspect we have already been offered a special deal via the TA so wouldn't be eligible.

I just checked my account and as a silver member, 10% discount is still showing as available.

This is what I received in my reply from Seabourn ‘Thank you for contacting Seabourn regarding your Carnival Shareholder benefit. Seabourn has applied the shipboard credit amount of $250.00 to your reservation XXXXXXX, and it will be credited to your onboard account upon embarkation.’

If you are looking to fill time until your flight you might want to consider the Boatyard. Close to Cruise terminal and 30 mins to airport. they have showers etc.

We used https://www.istanbulairporttaxis.com who were very good and well priced to travel from hotel to airport.

As I said in the other post, in October we docked in Sarayburnu. Stayed in Radisson Hotel Istanbul Sultanahmet. Less than a mile from the Sarayburnu. 5 minutes walk from lots of restaurants. 10/15mins from Blue Mosque. Nice clean hotel overlooking the Bosporus. Right beside a ferry stop to take you to the East. Only issue we had was taxi drivers trying to take advantage of us. Tried to charge TL880 approx €45? The last driver we approached only charged €5. He got a nice tip. Wherever you choose to stay, have a note of the address of your hotel and insist on taximeter.

I sent my request yesterday morning. Reply received in afternoon confirming cruise credit applied and will be available on embarkation. Our cruise is not until November! Cant complain about that level of service.

Never had a problem with the wine on Seabourn. Tend to avoid the ‘recommended’ wines of the day but they are always happy to provide a taste for you to make up your own mind. As for champagne I actually prefered the Nicolas Feuillatte to the Montaudon currently served which I understand comes in cheaper. Isn't it great that we all have different tastes.

Not sure your itinerary but if Carambola is on it expect that will be the Caviar in Surf day.

Are you sure ship is docking at Galataport? Disembarked in Istanbul in October and whilst initially we were told we would dock in Galataport we actually docked in the much smaller TDI Sarayburnu. It is a tiny port and we were less than 100 yards from the gangway to taxis via passport control and luggage collection.

You wont see it when you log in. Only when you board the ship.

The Sandpiper or the Coral Reef Club. Very nice Hotel privately owned by the same people in Holetown on the West Coast of Barbados.

Re taxi, don't prebook. After customs you exit the airport and you will find a taxi dispatcher. Quicker and cheaper than pre-booking. Tell him where you want to go. He will call up a taxi ( there are always plenty) and give you a slip of paper with the price and a copy to the driver. The price is a set rate and will be in bds$. Prices have recently increased but I would guess the price will be around bds$80/90. The driver will accept US$ on a 2 to 1 basis so if bds$80 your fare will be US$40 plus a tip. The actual rate is 1.98 to 2 so factor that in when tipping. Make sure you have 20/10$ bills as if you hand over US$100 dollar bill you will might get change in bds$ which I assume you wont want. If your trip ends in Barbados you will have to negotiate a fare back to airport at the rank as the regulated fare is only from the airport. As such prepare to pay more for the return and make sure you know which currency you are discussing.

If you chose a specific suite level at time of booking the suite number will have been allocated immediately. If OB usually 2 weeks before so you should have heard by now. If you log in to the Seabourn site you may see it there now. I would expect the sail down to Barbados should be pretty good at this time of year. That said I have noticed higher winds over the last few years. If you are staying over in Barbados there is lots to do. Recommend a catamaran trip which includes a swim with turtles.